Chance Encounter
by SmilingArtist
Summary: [Post-Tartaros Arc] Following a job in the outskirts of Crocus, Sting Eucliffe finds Lucy Heartfilia half-drowning and drunk in the middle of a hotspring [StingLu]
1. Chapter 1

**Chance Encounter**

 **Summary:** Following a job in the outskirts of Crocus, Sting Eucliffe finds Lucy Heartfilia half-drowning and drunk in the middle of a hotspring

 **Pairing:** Sting/Lucy

 **Genre:** Romance / Drama

 **Rating:** M

 **Disclaimer:** The anime/manga _Fairy Tail_ and its characters belong rightfully to Hiro Mashima

 **Note:** My first _Fairy Tail_ fanfic! Hope you guys enjoy this fic featuring my OTP StingLu/StiCy. This story is set after the Tartaros Arc, during the 1-year time-skip, a few weeks before Natsu and Lucy's reunion. My take on what could have happened during that 1-year gap. I more or less already have this whole story planned out. I'm anticipating around 4-6 chapters for this fanfic. I realized that I've left a lot of my stories incomplete but I'm _determined_ to finish this one. Please read and review! This fanfic is not beta'ed.

 **-X-**

 **Chapter One**

 **-X-**

A year has passed since the last Grand Magic Games Sabertooth had entered. It was also the same games that ended Sabertooth's winning streak, much to the guild's disappointment. The chance for redemption was well on its way with this year's tournament approaching. However, after news of Fairy Tail's disbandment reached him, Sting felt a twinge of disappointment, as he knew that there wouldn't be any real competition in the games. Although the presence of Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel and even Blue Pegasus made a strong impression on the crowd last year, Sting had a sneaking suspicion that they would not make an appearance in the tournament this year either for the same reason as Sabertooth.

Not that it mattered, Sting mused. He would not be allowed to participate in the tournament if they were to enter due to his _promotion._ Ever since the death of Jiemma, he had taken over as the new guild master of Sabertooth. Despite his protests, everyone had encouraged him to fill the shoes of the guild's new master. Even Minerva, who initially nominated Sting without good intentions, had shown him her full support of the role. Needless to say, Sting had found his hands full pretty quickly.

He had heard rumours of Fairy Tail's destructive tendencies and initially scoffed at their carelessness. Only after becoming a master made him realise that Sabertooth was _just as bad_ as the infamous fairies. Orga and Minerva in particular were the main source behind his migraines, as he had to draft letters after letters of apology to the magic council.

Being the leader of the pack also meant he wasn't given many opportunities to take on jobs with Rogue, Lector and Frosch. So when the news of a dark guild, by the name of Red Dusk, terrorising a nearby village south of Crocus reached his ears, Sting didn't think twice before accepting the job himself. To his dismay, Rogue, Yukino and Frosch had already left on a mission and Lector had fallen ill, therefore were unable to join him on this job. Thus, he set out alone.

Taking care of the dark guild wasn't anything Sting couldn't handle himself. With Red Dusk detained and out of commission, the villagers rejoiced and showered him with extreme hospitality. Despite the job not posing much of a challenge, Sting still relished in the idea of being out on duty, rather than being stuck in the guild office, but alas, all good things must come to and end. Sting bid his goodbyes to the villagers and proceeded to head back to Crocus, where Sabertooth was based at. Luckily for the dragon slayer, it was a walking distance, which meant he didn't have to suffer from the side effects of transportation.

"Hello there, young traveller."

Sting stopped in his path and turned towards the feminine voice. An old lady holding a walking stick with hair as grey as ash was the source of the greeting. She gave Sting a smile.

"Hello." Sting nodded politely.

"You look a bit worn out, I must say," she remarked with concern. "Are you okay, young man?"

Sting glanced down at his attire. Although the job he had wasn't anything of a difficult level, a couple of the dark mages managed to catch him by surprise with their attacks, hence why he looked slightly scuffed.

"I'm fine."

The old lady pursed her lips. "You look like you just got out of a fight. You must be a mage, aren't you?"

Sting nodded in response. "I am."

"That explains everything then." The woman chuckled lightly, to which Sting tilted his head in confusion. She smiled at him before continuing. "There's an _onsen_ on the outskirts of Crocus Forest. The water runs directly from Crocus Mountain and is known for its healing properties. I see many mages such as yourself venture there to relax and rejuvenate. You look like you could benefit from something like that."

Sting's eyes lit up. "Ohh, an _onsen_? Sounds like a good idea," he exclaimed.

"Indeed." The woman nodded with a smile. She pointed towards the narrow path leading into the forest. "If you follow that path and take a right turn at the second intersection, continue on that path and you'll reach the place."

"Alright, thank you for that ma'am." Sting bowed politely before heading off in the direction of the _onsen_.

The old woman chuckled. Youth these days, she mused.

 **-X-**

It took Sting a total of twelve minutes to arrive at the said location. Sting observed the area. Deep in the middle of the forest surrounded by thick condensation of trees laid an old, run down inn made completely of wood. A sign with the words _Yama Ryoukan and Onsen_ hung above the front door. Walking through the door, Sting was greeted by a middle-aged lady adorned in an elegant purple _yukata._ She bowed at the dragon slayer. "Welcome."

Sting walked towards the lady. Kimiko, her nametag read. "I've been told about the hot springs here. How much is it?"

Kimiko chuckled. "Dear, our _onsen_ is free of charge with a bottle of our complimentary _sake_ ," she stated. Sting raised his eyebrows. Free of charge? How does her business even survive? "Of course, if you like to stay here overnight, it'll cost 6000 J per night."

"6000 J?!" Sting's eyes widened. 'What an expensive stay,' he thought.

Kimiko nodded her head. "Would you like me to book you in?"

Sting shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'm just here to experience the hot spring."

"Very well." The innkeeper gestured towards the entrance on her left, which had a blue cloth hanging overhead. "If you head through that entrance, there will be a set of clothes for you and a locker for you to use. Would you like some _sake_ to go with your experience?"

"Yes, please."

Kimiko smiled at his request and retrieved a bottle of _sake_ from behind the counter and passed it to him, along with a small cup. "Enjoy."

Sting accepted the items from her and headed towards the entrance. Using his free hand to brush the blue overhanging cloth out of the way, he entered the changing room, taking note of the fresh set of _yukata_ , towel and _geta_ laid out in an organised fashion. Putting the _sake_ down, Sting proceeded to strip out of his jacket, pants and boots, throwing them into the basket provided and shoving them into a nearby locker. 'Doesn't look like anyone else is around,' Sting mused, as he wrapped the towel around his lower half. Grabbing the _sake_ and cup, he proceeded towards the entrance of the _onsen_.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, observing the sight before him. The _onsen_ was huge, stretching towards the mountain, almost as if it was a lake. It was dark out with stars filling up the sky. The moon and stars reflected off the steamy water, illuminating the area. Sting glanced around, not seeing a single soul in sight. Perfect, he mused before laying the _sake_ down and throwing off his towel. The water was scorching, but not uncomfortable, as he slowly dipped his feet in. Sting sighed in contentment after sinking himself fully into the water.

"Ahh… this is the life." Sting grinned. Pouring himself a cup of _sake_ , which he downed in one go, he leaned back against the rocky edge of the _onsen_ and gazed up at the starry sky. If only Rogue, Lector and Frosch were here, he mused. "Their loss."

It wasn't long before Sting felt his eyes drift shut as the warmth of the water worked its magic in his muscles.

Sting didn't know how long he slept for before a splashing sound captured his full attention. "What the hell was that?" he muttered, standing up fully in the water, exposing his lower half completely. The blond dragon slayer didn't care much about modesty, though. The sound occurred to his right. His view was obstructed by rocks, so Sting had no choice but to approach them source. Cautiously he wadded through the water and peeked over the rocks. The sight before him left his eyes wide open.

There on the other side of the rocky structure laid Lucy Heartfilia half-drowning in the steaming water. "L-Lucy-san?!" Sting exclaimed in surprise.

The said blonde did not respond nor move causing Sting to panic. Without thinking further, Sting leaped over the rocky structure, separating the males' _onsen_ from the female side and wadded towards the drowning celestial mage. Grabbing a hold of the female's shoulders, Sting positioned her upright and gave her a slight shake. "Hey, snap out of it!" he said firmly.

Lucy coughed violently, bringing up a copious amount of spring water, before her eyes fluttered open. Her brown eyes looked around disorientated before landing on the male who had her in his grasp. "W-who are you?" she slurred.

Sting could smell the scent of _sake_ on her breath. He raised an eyebrow at her drunken state. "It's Sting," he stated. "From Sabertooth. Don't tell me you've forgotten me already."

Lucy looked confused for a second before letting off a silly grin. "Oooohh, Sting~" She giggled. "L-long time –hiccup- no see!"

"Yes, long time indeed, Lucy-san," Sting commented dryly. "Now do you mind telling me what happened to you?"

"Just had –hiccup- a little too much to drink, is all." Lucy laughed, swaying back and forth. Without warning, the celestial mage lost her footing and tumbled straight into Sting's chest.

"H-hey! W-w-what are you doing?!" Sting yelled in embarrassment as her bare breasts rubbed against his naked chest. It only just occurred to him now that she was stark naked like him as previously he was too concerned about her state of mind to notice such detail.

Lucy giggled. "Sorry~" She looked up at him with her chocolate eyes. Sting blushed at their proximity but took heavy note of her reddened eyes. Had she been crying, Sting wondered.

"Hey… Sting?" Her breath fanned on his face.

"W-what is it?" Sting stammered, feeling hot from the closeness of the Fairy Tail mage.

"Can you stay –hiccup- with me? –hiccup- Just for a bit?" Lucy asked drunkenly. As she pressed closer to him, the dragon slayer willed himself not to color the _onsen_ water red with the massive nosebleed that was threatening to emerge. He felt himself sweat and he had a sneaking suspicion it had nothing to do with the heat.

"I-I don't think that's a good idea, Lucy-san. I should go!" Sting stuttered. He released the female, who immediately dropped into a sitting position in the water. To his relief, the steamy water once again concealed her endowed bosom. "Goodbye, Lucy-san!" he blurted out, and proceeded to make a dash. Her next words however froze him in his tracks.

"Why does everyone keep leaving me…?" Lucy murmured, voice thick with emotion. "Even you…"

Sting turned back towards the Heartfilia girl, whose eyes started to glisten with unshed tears. "Why…"

Sting didn't know what to do nor say. He just stood there staring at Lucy, who hugged her legs towards her chest and started to sob silently. After a moment of hesitation, he started to walk towards the female and after a few seconds of hesitation he plopped himself down next to the celestial mage. Slowly, he raised a hand and placed it on top of her head, giving her a small, reassuring pat. "Alright, I'll stay for a bit," he said awkwardly. "I'm here, Lucy-san. Please don't cry." He did not know what compelled him to stay but seeing Lucy like that sent an unpleasant feeling through his chest.

"Thank you…" Sting heard her murmur before her head fell against his shoulder. He glanced at the blonde only to find that she had fallen asleep. Sighing, Sting scratched his head in frustration. "What in the world am I going to do with you?" he muttered. Lucy snored lightly in response.

Knowing that he would have to get her out of the water and dressed before she caught a cold, Sting cursed under his breath and lifted Lucy up, bridal-style. Ignoring the feel of her naked skin against his bare chest, Sting brought them both out of the water and proceeded towards the female changing room. Good thing no one else was around, Sting thought scowling. He would never live it down if someone saw him stark naked, carrying an attractive looking female, who was also in her birthday suit, in his arms. If word got out, he would be the laughing stock of Sabertooth.

Setting Lucy down on the wooden bench chair, Sting glanced around to locate her clothing. He retrieved the basket filled with her clothing. Digging through the basket, Sting came across a piece of what was probably the most scandalous looking piece of underwear he had ever seen. "What the hell…" Sting pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt his face heat up. Letting out a growl, he shoved the offending piece of fabric into the bottom of the basket and set the basket of clothing down. "Ahh forget it!"

Instead he retrieved one of the inn's _yukata_ from the cabinet and, with much difficulty, wrapped it around the curveous blonde. Sting made sure to advert his eyes whilst dressing her. He felt his face heat up every time his hand made contact with her soft bare skin.

"Stupid girl…" he grumbled under his breath, face still red from embarrassment. On the contrary to what most people think, Sting was an absolute prude when it comes to the female body. Having to dress Lucy Heartfilia, a girl with, in his opinion, one of the best bodies he had ever seen, was absolute torture for him.

A lone tear fell from Lucy's closed eye and before Sting could stop himself, he reached out to wipe it away. He sighed before the corner of his lips twitched up ever so slightly.

"You owe me big time, Blondie."

 **-X-**

"Nnng," Lucy groaned as the ray of sunlight from the window shone on her face. "Oww…" She sat up, hand nursing her pounding head. "Where am I…?" Brown eyes observed the surroundings. Lucy noted that she was in a small traditional-styled bedroom, with the bare minimum of furnishing. The blonde got on her feet shakily, one hand holding the side of her head as she grimaced. "My head…" she moaned. "How much did I drink…?" She glanced around the room, only to land on a piece of paper lying on top of a low oak table. Lucy blinked in confusion before approaching the object. Her eyebrows rose as she read the contents.

 _You owe me one – Sting Eucliffe_

All of a sudden, last nights events came rushing through her head. "Oh, God…" Lucy groaned in embarrassment. She never would have imagined that _Sting Eucliffe_ of all people would find her in her pitiful state. She hissed as a sudden sharp pain shot through her head. Hangovers were the worst, she thought with much regret.

It wasn't very often that Lucy would find herself drinking. She was never a big drinker to begin with and had always wondered how Cana could go through so many barrels a day without losing her liver. Natsu had made it quite clear to her that she was an absolute _terror_ to take care of when drunk. Natsu… Lucy's eyes watered slightly.

Yesterday marked the 307th day of Fairy Tail's disbandment and also the last time she saw the salmon-haired dragon slayer. Lucy kept count of each day that had passed, despite recalling the events of that fateful day as if it only happened the day before. Everyone had gone his or her separate ways since the defeat of Tartaros. Natsu and Happy were the first to disappear, followed by Master Makarov, Gray, Juvia, Erza… and even Wendy and Charle. Before she knew it, Fairy Tail was nothing more than the name of the strongest guild in Fiore. A name, however, without its members, meant nothing. Fairy Tail's disbandment hit Lucy hard. Lucy had struggled through a depressive phase for three months following that day.

Jason from Sorcerer Magazine found her sulking in the streets of Magnolia one day and, after he discovered her talent for writing, he hired her as his assistant. From that day, she put her past behind her, left Magnolia and followed the enthusiastic reporter to the city of Crocus. With the money from her new job, she was able to afford a nice apartment in central Crocus. Of course, being in the capital of Fiore meant that rent was not exactly cheap. Despite having to pay 85,000 J a month, Lucy could not have asked for a better start to her life.

However, there were times like yesterday where Lucy would find herself, once again, falling into the pits of despair. The mark of the Fairy Tail guild was well recognised amongst even common folk. Despite the disbandment of the guild, Lucy still wore her guild mark on her right hand as a reminder of the past. What she did not expect was that the children of Crocus would recognise the meaning behind the mark.

She remembered walking home from a long day of work, only to be stopped by two young boys no older than the age of eight. The way their eyes lit up when they saw her guild mark and asked her if Fairy Tail was going to compete in the Grand Magic Games again this year had almost turned Lucy into a sobbing mess. The only response that Lucy could grace them with was a strained smile and pat on their heads and whispering, "you'll just have find out." She let off a shaky grin at their excited faces, yet felt her heart being crushed. She did not have the heart to tell these innocent children that their precious Salamander wasn't going to make an appearance nor the fact that the guild that they wanted to join was no more.

With that encounter behind her, Lucy felt as if a dark cloud had yet again formed over her head. Her feet were on autopilot, bringing her further and further away from the city of Crocus. Lost in her thoughts, she did not even notice that she had made it to the outskirts of the city. The skies were painted a warm combination of orange, red and yellow, signalling the approach of nightfall.

She was approached a minute later by an old woman, who asked if she needed help getting home as she appeared 'lost.' Being the kind-hearted stranger that she was, she suggested for Lucy to take a break and relax at the nearby _onsen_.

"A soak in the springs can do wonders for your troubled heart, child," the lady suggested. The wrinkles on her face grew more prominent with her smile.

Without much thought, Lucy agreed and thus found herself drowning away her sorrows with alcohol. No one was around, which Lucy was grateful for. The blonde could only remember crying her heart out, drinking, screaming at the heavens, drinking… and then all went black.

"What was Sting doing there though?" Lucy questioned herself quietly. "How did I even get here?"

A soft knock on the _shoji_ screen caught her attention. "Miss, are you awake?"

"A-ah, yes, come in!" Lucy answered back, hands clasping the front of her _yukata_. When did she even get changed, she wondered.

The door slid open to reveal a middle-aged woman dressed in an elegant yukata. Her nametag identified her as Kimiko. "Ahh, you're awake. How are you feeling, Miss…?" Kimiko trailed off.

"Lucy." The blonde bowed. "I'm okay, thank you."

The woman softly giggled behind her hand. "I must say, I had quite a shock when I saw that blond boy carry you out of the _onsen_ last night, but he seemed pretty sensible."

What is she talking about, Lucy wondered with a puzzled expression on her face. The innkeeper's words suddenly dawned on her. Carried you out of the _onsen_ … sensible… blond boy… Lucy's face turned cherry red and she quickly turned around, hands cupping her hot cheeks. Her eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me…"

Kimiko tilted her head, slightly confused at her actions. "Was he someone that you knew, Miss Lucy?"

"K-kinda…"

Oh, Lucy definitely knew him. Sting Eucliffe – one of the Twin Dragons of the Sabertooth guild, Fairy Tail's biggest rival during the Grand Magic Games. Despite the dragon slayer duo's help during the Face activation project by Tartaros, Lucy's impression of them was not a good one. While Yukino proved to be a great friend, Rogue and Minerva had left Lucy with quite huge scars, both physically and mentally. Hearing the name Sabertooth still sometimes put Lucy on edge, despite knowing very well that the guild has changed for the better. Despite all this, she did not know what to think of the White Dragon, Sting. Her first impression of the blond was that he was the most arrogant person she had ever come across. She remembered feeling her blood boil as he openly mocked her dragon slayer teammate on the streets of Crocus and the way he boasted about killing his dragon. A guy like Sting was definitely trouble. Lucy groaned, dreading what was there to come.

"Um, Miss Lucy? Are you okay?" The voice of the innkeeper snapped Lucy out of her thoughts.

"Oh, yes, I am!" A thought suddenly struck Lucy. "Oh! I have to pay for my stay!" she exclaimed as her hands roam her body trying to locate her wallet. 'Dammit, I don't even have money on me!' she cried inwardly, remember that she left her wallet at her apartment yesterday morning.

"Pay? Oh, don't worry about it. The gentleman from last night already footed the bill." Kimiko smiled.

Lucy froze. "He did what?!" she gapped. "How much was it?"

"We charge 6000 J per night, Miss."

'6000 J?!' Lucy inwardly shrieked.

"He also asked me to wash your clothes for you. They just dried this morning." Kimiko held up a pile of folded clothing for the celestial mage, who accepted the clothes, still in a state of shock.

"Did he say where he was going?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

"No…"

A surge of disappointment ran though her. "Oh…" Lucy looked down and fisted the clothes in her hands tightly. First he takes care of her while she was drunk, pays for her _not-so-cheap_ stay and asks for her clothes to be washed. She _had_ to find a way to thank him. The blonde mage pursed her lips.

Maybe Sting wasn't as bad as she thought.

 **-X-**

 **Author's Note:** Hope you guys enjoyed this. Writing is most definitely not my forte so I'm sorry if some of the scenes felt a bit awkward, haha. Sorry if the characters felt a bit OOC. I only realized how hard it is to write Sting after completing this chapter... But anyway, please leave a review and let me know what you think :)

 **-X-**

 _-Setsuna_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Your reviews fuel my passion for completing this story. Here's another chapter for you guys. Just another reminder that this story is not beta'ed so I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors. English is not my first language, haha. Enjoy!

 **-X-**

 **Chapter Two**

 **-X-**

The sound of a pen scratching against paper resounded through the bedroom, where Lucy sat in front of a small oak desk. Her article for this week's Weekly Sorcerer magazine was due soon, however Lucy had yet to make progress. The blonde paused in her writing.

It had been three days since her encounter with Sting at the _onsen_ and Lucy still hadn't thought of a way to thank the White Dragon Slayer. She twirled the pen with her fingers whilst resting her chin in the palm of her left hand. Even if she did come up with an idea, Lucy doubted that she would get the chance to see Sting again in the near future. Despite the Sabertooth guild being located in Crocus, the very city that she currently resides in, the idea of going into the guild herself to demand an audience with the master was something she'd rather avoid.

Lucy sighed, setting her pen down. This was getting nowhere. Her stomach let off a low growl, signalling hunger. Lucy placed a hand on her flat stomach with a frown. Brown eyes glanced at the clock hung on the pale green wall of her bedroom. 12.34pm it read. Lucy stretched her arms and got up from her chair and ventured towards her kitchen. Taking note of the almost empty fridge, Lucy made the decision to do a bit of grocery shopping. A breath of fresh air may be what she needed to help her finish her article.

After having a quick brunch and taking a quick shower, Lucy changed out of her pyjamas and into a semi-tight white and lilac diagonally stripped tank top and a simple navy skirt, held up by a white belt. She pulled her long hair into a side ponytail and secured it in place with a purple ribbon. Pulling on a pair of knee length black boots, Lucy walked out of her apartment, locking the door behind her.

The blonde breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh autumn air, before making her way towards the markets. There weren't many people around this area in Crocus, which was what she preferred. The location was convenient too, situated only a seven-minute walk from the markets.

"Good morning, Amie-san," Lucy greeted the middle-aged lady behind the vegetable stand as she arrived at her destination.

"Ahh, good to see you again, Lucy!" Amie exclaimed. "I've just received a fresh supply of veges in the order today. Please help yourself."

Lucy nodded with a smile before taking what she needed and paying the woman. After picking up a couple more items, Lucy made her way back to her apartment. On her way, she passed by a small plaza, the very same place where she first met the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth.

"Lucy-sama!" a feminine voice called from behind.

Lucy turned to see a girl standing a few feet away. She had short pale blue hair adorned with a blue flower on the side. She waved at Lucy with a large smile. Lucy's eyes lit up upon seeing her and waved back.

"Yukino! Long time no see!" the blonde exclaimed, running up to give the fellow celestial mage a hug. Yukino returned her embrace before stepping back to give them both space.

"What are you doing here, Lucy-sama?" Yukino asked.

"I'm working for Weekly Sorcerer as a reporter. Most of my jobs are based in Crocus so I've moved here now," Lucy said, holding up her bag of groceries. "My fridge was running on empty so was just stocking up. What about you? What brings you here?"

"Well, our guild is based in Crocus." Yukino giggled. "But I'm actually here with Sting-sama and Rogue-sama because Frosch-sama got lost again."

Lucy gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. "Oh, that's terrible."

"It happens quite often but Rogue-sama is frantic as ever." Yukino sighed.

"Maybe I should give you a hand," Lucy suggested. If Sting was also here, this might also give Lucy a chance to speak to him.

"Are you sure, Lucy-sama? I mean, you don't have anything else to do?" Yukino questioned, tilting her head.

"I don't have anything on at the moment so I have time," Lucy reassured with a smile. "I'll just quickly drop the groceries off at my place first."

 **-X-**

"Frosch! Where are you?!"

The White Dragon Slayer sighed for the third time in one day, watching his best friend cry over his lost Exceed. "Come on, man. Pull yourself together," Sting told the raven-haired male.

"I can't believe that I left you in the hands of Lector… Please forgive me Frosch!" Rogue sobbed.

Sting's eye twitched. "Hey, don't go blaming Lector. It's not his fault," he exclaimed, defending his Exceed, who hung his head looking ever so guilty.

Rogue glared at Sting and immediately butt his head with the blond. "If Lector hadn't kept an eye on him while they were out shopping, then none of this would have happened!" he snarled.

"Yeah, well what's done is done! Blaming Lector isn't going to help us find Frosch!" Sting growled back.

Lector watched the two dragon slayers nervously, sensing an upcoming clash. "Sting-kun… Rogue-kun…"

"Hey you two! This is no time to be fighting!" Yukino cried, running up towards the dragon slayer duo. The two males stopped glaring at one another and turned towards their approaching teammate. Sting's eyebrow rose at the second figure behind Yukino – Lucy Heartfilia.

"I brought some help, guys," Yukino said. "Now let's not waste anymore time and find Frosch-sama."

"Hi guys." Lucy waved at the two dragon slayers with a slightly nervous expression on her face, which Sting couldn't help but find cute.

"Looks like we meet again, Lucy-san," Sting remarked with a grin. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better, thanks." Lucy smiled back. Sting could see the previous tension in her body slowly disappearing.

"Lucy-sama said that she's going to help us find Frosch-sama," Yukino brought up.

Sting raised his eyebrows at this. "Are you sure? I mean, it's not _that_ big of a deal."

Rogue glared at Sting for his comment. "It IS a big deal," he seethed. "Frosch has no sense of directions!"

Sting twitched with annoyance. "Calm down, man. It's not like this hasn't happened before. We'll definitely find him," he said firmly.

"Perhaps we would cover more ground if we split up?" Lucy suggested.

"Good idea, Lucy-sama!" Yukino exclaimed. "Rogue-sama, maybe we should have a look at Crocus Gardens. Frosch does love flowers." She ran off in that direction, expecting the Shadow Dragon Slayer to follow.

"I'm coming Frosch. Please be okay," Rogue muttered under his breath and took off in the direction of the gardens.

"Um… Is Rogue okay?" Lucy questioned.

Sting rubbed his head and sighed. "He gets like this every time Frosch goes missing. Don't mind him." He turned towards Lucy. "I guess I'll head in the direction of the markets." Without waiting for her response, he headed off.

"Wait!"

Sting stopped in his tracks and turned back towards the blonde. "What is it, Lucy-san?" he asked curiously.

Lucy looked away with a slight blush on her cheeks. "I, uh, wanted to thank you for that night," she muttered. "I'm sorry that you had to see me in such a pathetic state." The blonde hung her head in shame.

"Yeah, you were pretty pathetic alright," came the dragon slayer's haughty tone. Lucy whipped her head up, eyes widened. "Wha–!"

"I know I'm irresistible but you really gotta learn not to throw yourself at every attractive male that you see." Sting smirked lightly. He watched her closely for her reaction, to which she did not disappoint. Lucy's face turned bright red.

"HUH?!" "What do you mean?! What did I do?!" the celestial mage stuttered out, taking a step back.

Sting tapped a finger on his chin and looked away in thought. "You did a lot of things to me, Lucy-san. Did you perhaps forget?"

"W-what kind of things?" Lucy gasped out in horror.

Sting's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Hmm… perhaps this will trigger your memory then," he stated. Taking a step forward, Sting got right up into her face. Lucy flushed and tried taking a step back but a hand on her back held her in place. A smirk made its way onto the Sabertooth master's face as he descended closer and closer to the blushing blonde.

"W-what are you…" Lucy stuttered out. She closed her eyes tight and turned her face to the side. Sting's breath was hot on her face and her legs grew weak. A second later, she heard a chuckle, which then turned into full-blown laughter.

"Hahahahaha, you should've seen your face." Sting laughed, clutching his exposed abdominals.

Lucy blinked. "Wha…?"

Wiping a tear away from his eye, Sting straightened up and gave her a grin. "Relax, Lucy-san. Nothing happened. You drank too much, rubbed yourself against me–" Lucy squeaked. "–fainted, then I had to carry you out of the _onsen_ and get you dressed. That's all."

"I-I'm sorry for all the trouble," Lucy said embarrassed.

"Yeah, it was pretty troublesome alright…" Sting said offhandedly, to which Lucy hung her head in response. Sting gave off a chuckle. "I'm just kidding, Lucy-san. No damage was done," he reassured her.

"You left out one detail though."

Sting blinked.

Lucy looked up to meet his gaze. "You paid for my overnight stay… and it wasn't cheap either," she remarked. "Please let me make it up to you."

Sting frowned and crossed his arms. "Normally I would just let it slide since I'm such a gentleman… but that has indeed put a huge dent in my wallet," he remarked. "I'll take you up on that offer then. What do you have in mind?"

Lucy thought for a second. "Hm… there's a really nice restaurant in Western Crocus called Marina Bay. I'll treat you for dinner?" she said weakly.

"Sounds good." Sting grinned.

"So… tonight at seven?"

"It's a date then." Sting winked playfully.

 **-X-**

"A date he says…" Lucy mumbled in front of the mirror. In her hands held two different outfits. One was an A-line, sleeveless, maroon dress, which swept the floor with its length. It was backless and paired with a small white belt with silver glitter. The other dress was a baby-blue tube dress that stopped at mid-thigh. The dress was tight-fitted with a tiny white ribbon tied in the middle. "Which one should I pick…?"

Setting both of them down on her bed, Lucy tapped her chin in thought. "I do prefer the blue one…"

"P-puun puuu," Plue commented shakily.

Lucy smiled and picked up the spirit. "Oh, you're just the cutest lil' doggie," she cooed, giving Plue a tight hug.

"P-puuun…"

"So which one do you think I should wear, Plue?" Lucy asked kindly.

Plue looked up at her shakily. "Puuun?"

"The blue one, huh?" Lucy set Plue down and grabbed the blue dress. Holding it up against her body in front of the mirror, she nodded in acceptance. "This one it is."

After getting changed, Lucy checked herself out in the mirror and nodded. "Looking good, Lucy," Lucy stated vainly whilst performing a variety of poses. "Now… how should I do my hair…" A second later, she froze. "Wait, what am I doing?!" she screeched.

"Puuun!"

Lucy blushed furiously. What on Earthland had gotten into her? Even though Sting said that it was a date, it did notmean it was an actual _date_. Lucy shook her head frantically. "It's just a dinner. Nothing more, nothing less," the blonde muttered underneath her breath.

She took a glance at the time. 6.35pm, it read. Sting was going to be here any minute. The dragon slayer had asked for her address and stated that he would be there to pick her up, despite the restaurant being a mere 10 minute walk from her apartment. Lucy quickly pulled her blonde locks into a messy bun, leaving strands free to frame her heart-shaped face. Around her neck was a simple crystal necklace, which stopped just above the valley of her breasts.

"I wonder what Sting will think…" Lucy mused before slapping her cheeks with both hands. "Argghh! No Lucy, no! Why does that even matter?!" she screeched hysterically.

"Hm, I think you look great, Lucy-san."

The said girl froze at the sound of the voice coming from her window. 'Don't tell me…' Lucy turned towards the direction of the voice.

"Hey!" Sting grinned from his position on the windowsill.

Lucy's eyes threatened to jump out of their sockets. "W-what are you doing here?!" she stammered, backing away from him.

Sting blinked before jumping off from his perched position into her room. The wooden floorboards squeaked at the impact. "I'm here to pick you up," he said casually.

Lucy puffed up her cheeks. "There is a thing called a door, you know?" she retorted.

"Oh, really? I didn't know that," Sting said innocently, putting his hands behind his head. Lucy rolled her eyes before letting them roam briefly over Sting's form. He was wearing a dark blue jacket with gold trimming over a simple black T-shirt. Light-grey pants were held up with a black and gold belt and the ends were tucked into his back combat boots. Pretty much, what he usually wore, except he decided to cover his abdominals this time around.

Lucy instantly felt over-dressed. She walked over to her wardrobe to retrieve a khaki trench coat to go over her dress. Shrugging the coat on, Lucy turned towards the dragon slayer, who was looking towards to the side.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before following his gaze. Her heart sank when she noticed what had caught his attention. Sting was staring at the notes pinned on her wall.

Notes on the whereabouts of all the Fairy Tail members.

Lucy bit her lip and looked away. Ever since Fairy Tail's disbandment, Lucy had kept track of everyone's whereabouts. It wasn't intentional information gathering at first, as the hot topic of the guild's breakup had been the talk of Crocus during the first few months. Every little piece of information Lucy heard was recorded down and soon, Lucy found her wall filled with information. However, she had no idea what she was going to do with all this information. At one point, she had thought about contacting her friends, but held herself back each time. What if they had already moved on and did not want to be reminded of the guild? What if they had forgotten about her already? She had even heard rumours of some members joining other guilds, which left a bitter taste in her mouth but she slowly accepted all these facts. After all, Fairy Tail was no more. That however, did not stop her from doing her own investigations.

"Lucy-san?"

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at the dragon slayer who looked at her with concern. Inwardly shaking her head, the blonde gave him a strained smile. "Shall we go?"

Sting pursed his lips slightly before nodding.

 **-X-**

The walk to Marina Bay Restaurant was filled with silence. Normally Sting wouldn't mind the silence but now he felt on edge. Everything today was good up until the point where he appeared in Lucy's room.

He was surprised and a bit impressed when he saw all the notes detailing the locations of the members of her guild. Immediately, he felt a sense of pity for the girl before him. During Jiemma's reign as Sabertooth's master he was taught that there were no such things as comrades and family in a guild. It was all about survival of the fittest. Now, however, things have changed. Sting had learnt the importance of treasuring the members of his guild and treating everyone as equals and like family. It was the very lesson that he learnt from Fairy Tail. The irony, however, was that Fairy Tail was now gone, leaving behind one of its broken members in the form of Lucy Heartfilia.

"We're here," the soft voice of the celestial mage spoke.

Sting looked up to see a white building with the sign _Marina Bay_ hanging over the double-glass door. There were tables outside, sheltered by colourful umbrellas. They were mostly occupied by young couples.

"Do you want to sit inside?" Lucy asked quietly.

"Yeah," Sting responded, observing the couples that were not so embarrassed about public display of affection. "Inside would be best."

Lucy led the way in and to Sting's relief the occupants of the restaurant inside were either large groups people socialising normally or older couples. He took note of the interior. The lighting was bright with a blue-ish tone. Upon entering the restaurant, he could see the main reception, where a young waitress greeted them with a bow. "Welcome."

"Table for two, please," Lucy said.

The waitress nodded and gestured towards her right. "Follow me please."

Sting trailed behind the two ladies. He took note of the aquarium-themed pillars arranged in an ordered fashion around the building, where fish occupied. 'Lector would love it here,' the blond thought.

The waitress brought them to a table at the far end of the restaurant. Being the gentleman that he was, Sting pulled the chair out for Lucy. Strangely enough, she did not react to his actions.

"Can I get you some drinks?" the waitress asked.

"Just coke thanks," Sting said, after taking his seat. His eyes never left the form of his blonde companion.

"I'll just have some water," Lucy responded quietly.

"And for the main course?"

"Lucy-san? What would you like?" Sting questioned, after having a flick through the menu in front of him.

"Anything is fine," Lucy simply said, flicking blindly through the menu.

Sting frowned at her actions. This wasn't going well. Closing his menu, he handed it to the waitress. Lucy did the same. "We'll just get two of the specials, please," he said curtly.

"Alright, sir." The waitress jotted down their orders and bowed before taking off.

Once the waitress was out of earshot, Sting threw in the question. "Are you alright, Lucy-san?" he questioned with concern laced in his tone.

Lucy looked up, slightly startled that he asked. "Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Lucy laughed nervously.

"You've been acting strange for a while. It's not like you," Sting remarked with a frown.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." The celestial mage waved her hands in denial.

Sting did not look convinced. "Right."

Lucy looked away sadly, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. Sting fidgeted in his seat, unsure about what to say. He was never good with words. Even Rogue, being his anti-social self, was better at this than him. However, seeing the blonde so dispirited before him made him want to speak up.

"Hey, uhh, look. I'm not really good with words so, uhh…" Sting started awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his head with his head. "What I'm trying to say is that if you ever need someone to talk to then I'm willing to listen." To his annoyance, he felt his ears heat up at his words.

Lucy looked up surprised at his words. For a second, Sting thought that his words had no effect and that the blonde would return to her glum self, but when a genuine smile slowly etched onto her face, he knew that he had achieved his goal.

"Okay." Lucy responded softly. The smile never left her face.

Sting grinned at her. "Good to see you smiling again. It suits you," he said amiably. His grin widened when he noticed a blush bloom on her cheeks. He chuckled lightly when she looked away, embarrassed. 'Cute.'

"Oh, wow. I just noticed it's like an aquarium in here," Lucy exclaimed when she noticed the pillars. Her eyes lit up with life.

"Yeah, it's a great pick for our _date_ , Lucy-san," Sting remarked, inwardly smirking at the way her face turned red at the word 'date'.

"Here are your drinks," the waitress from before said, returning with Sting's coke and Lucy's water.

"Thank you," they both replied.

"Your meals will be served soon." The waitress bowed and left once more.

"I'm surprised you're not drinking, being the alcoholic that you are," Sting remarked amusedly, taking a sip of his coke.

Lucy puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms over her well-endowed bosom. "I'm not an alcoholic, Sting," she retorted.

"Can't say I believe you. After seeing you on that day." Sting laughed. "Man, you were wasted."

Lucy groaned. "You're not going to let me live that down, are you?" she questioned dryly.

Sting just gave her a toothy grin as a response. "So what brought you to the _onsen_ that day?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I heard it was free… and good. So thought I'd try it out."

"Do you get drunk every time you hop into steaming water? That's pretty reckless of you I must say." Sting raised an eyebrow at her. Lucy visibly tensed at his statement, to which Sting did not miss. 'Shit, did I say something wrong?' he thought panicking.

"…It was just a one off occasion," the blonde female muttered.

Curiosity had always been one of Sting's bad points. "And that would be?"

Lucy fidgeted slightly before answering with a sigh. "…It's been over 10 months since Fairy Tail has disbanded," she stated quietly.

"…I'm sorry, Lucy-san." Sting did not know what to say except apologise. He immediately cursed himself. 'Way to go, man.' He scowled inwardly. Now they were back to square one.

Lucy shrugged lightly. "It's alright."

'No, it's not,' Sting thought frowning but continued to listen.

"It's already been 10 months. I thought I had already moved on but it looks like I haven't," Lucy said, smiling sadly. "It's okay, though. I should just learn to accept things as it is."

Sting furrowed his eyebrows. "Lucy-san, I–"

"Thank you for waiting." The waitress with her impeccable timing appeared. Sting didn't know whether he was grateful or annoyed at the interruption. "Please enjoy our special for today, the Seafood Marinara with handmade fettuccine coupled with calamari, prawns, clam, tomatoes and parmesan cheese." She placed the two identical dishes down. With a final bow, she left.

They two ate in silence, which Sting appreciated. He scowled inwardly. He really needed to learn to think before he spoke.

"So, how's Sabertooth lately?" Lucy spoke up offhandedly.

"We've been well. Our guild has been flooded with jobs these last few months," Sting commented, twirling the last bit of pasta on his plate with his fork before taking a bite. "Mm, that was pretty good!"

Lucy nodded in agreement. "So is Sabertooth going to enter this year's Grand Magic Games?"

Sting paused. "Maybe not," he answered eventually.

The celestial mage raised a slender eyebrow at this. "Why's that?"

"I don't think there will be much point in competing if our rival guild won't be making an appearance."

"Rival guild…?" Lucy's eyes widened with realization before looking down. "Oh…"

Sting surveyed the blonde before him before setting down his fork with a sigh. "I'm sorry about what happened to Fairy Tail, Lucy-san."

Lucy shook her head lightly. "You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault," she spoke softly. She flashed him a pained smile. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom for a bit." Without waiting for a response, Lucy got up and made a dash towards to the bathroom.

The White Dragon Slayer watched the girl's retreat with a sombre expression. 'Natsu-san… just look at what you and your guild has done.'

 **-X-**

The sound of flowing water hitting the bottom of the marble white basin echoed through the ladies room. Lucy braced her hands against edge of the basin and breathed in deeply. "What are you doing, Lucy," she muttered.

Looking up into the frameless mirror that stretched across the wall, Lucy found herself staring into the image of a girl with a broken expression. Brown eyes were brimmed with red, however Lucy's eyes felt dry. She did not feel sad, only hollow. It was the same feeling that she felt when news of her father's death had reached her ears. There was a sense of empty bitterness in her heart, one that was looking to be filled.

Lucy shook her head lightly before chuckling lightly. She was truly pathetic. Even after all this time, the mere _thought_ of her beloved guild would send her into a cycle of depression. But not today, she thought. It was bad enough that she had to owe Sting a favour, but another for him to see her in this state not once, but _twice_. Lucy was never one to accept another person's pity.

Turning the handle of the tap shut, Lucy tucked the strand of hair that fell from her messy bun behind her ear. Giving herself a quick nod in approval, she exited the bathroom. She spotted Sting still in the same spot he was in before she left. He was looking out the window with his head laid lazily on the palm of his right hand. His other hand rested lightly across his lap, fingers twiddling slightly.

Instead of making her way back to their table, the celestial mage headed straight for the reception.

"Bill for table seven please," Lucy requested the cashier.

The cashier looked up in confusion. "That young man has already paid for you, Miss," he said.

Brown eyes widened. "What?" she gapped. "He did?"

The cashier gave her a smile and merely nodded.

Lucy bit her lips and scrunched her face up in annoyance before heading towards the dragon slayer. Her heavy footsteps caught his attention and he turned to face her, slightly startled.

"Sting, I was supposed to pay!" Lucy exclaimed, stopping in front of him.

"It's fine, Lucy-san. What kind of gentleman would I be if I made you pay for me?" Sting said. He got up from his seat.

"B-but…" Lucy stammered.

"Your company is more than what I can ask for." Sting graced her with a smile, eyes softening. Lucy felt her heart skip a beat at the sight. "Come. I'll walk you home." He brushed passed her, heading towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Lucy ran after him. "You don't have to, Sting! You've already paid for our meal. I don't want to trouble you anymore," she complained.

"It's not trouble when I'm volunteering." Sting gave a light chuckle. "Besides, it's getting late. I wouldn't want a pretty lady such as yourself walking home defenceless."

Lucy puffed up her cheeks. 'Defenceless he says.' She scowled. "I've got my spirits with me," she retorted, crossing her arms across her chest.

"What if they take your keys?"

"Then I have my Fleuve d'ètoiles."

"You don't have that one you now, though."

Lucy blinked. 'Oh, yeah…' She let out a long sigh. "Alright, you win."

"It was never a contest to begin with." Sting graced her with a toothy grin to which Lucy puffed up her cheeks in response.

The walk back to Lucy's apartment was filled with small talk and laughter. They arrived at her apartment, stopping just outside the red-bricked stairs leading up to her door.

The celestial mage turned to face sting with a smile. "Thanks for tonight, Sting."

"Thank _you_ for the company, Lucy-san," Sting replied back with a grin.

Lucy shook her head. "You can just call me Lucy, Sting."

The Sabertooth master blinked in surprised before smiling. "Alright, Lucy." Silence filled the air for a couple of seconds before he continued. "You know, we should hang out more. I enjoyed our time together."

Lucy could not help but agree. "Yeah, we should…" she murmured. Sting had indeed managed to lighten up her mood.

"I'll see you later then." Without warning, Sting grabbed a hold of her left hand in his right one and brought it towards his lips. Lucy's eyes widened as she felt his lips brush against her knuckles. Her hand was released a second later. "Goodnight, Lucy," Sting murmured, before turning around to take his leave.

Lucy stood in silence, stunned at what had happened. Her fingers traced the knuckles where Sting kissed and she felt her face heat up. Brown eyes stared at his retreating back.

"Goodnight, Sting…" she whispered silently as the night closed on both of them.

 **-X-**

 **Author's Note:** And that's another chapter done. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you guys think about this story so far! :) See you in the next chapter.

 **-X-**

 _-Setsuna_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed in the last chapter. I honestly feel like StingLu is a dying ship in the world of fandom as you hardly see any new stories with this pair nowadays, which is quite sad. So it makes me really happy to see that there are still people out there who appreciate this crack ship and also my story. Apologizes for any grammatical errors. Again, this story is not beta'ed. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter :) Please leave a review!

 **-X-**

 **Chapter Three**

 **-X-**

The sun filtered through the white lace curtains of Lucy apartment. Lucy groaned, pulling the covers over her head as the rays of sunlight danced lightly on her face. She tossed and turned for a couple of minutes before finally giving up. The blonde sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head. Glancing outside her window, Lucy pursed her lips in thought. She hadn't been able to sleep well these last few days.

Jason had given her a deadline of the end of the week for her next task, one that she was not looking forward to. Once a month, Weekly Sorcerer magazine always feature a two-page spread of interviews with famous guilds and their members. This month, however, the guild chosen for this segment was none other than Crocus' own Sabertooth.

But a job was a job. If this task was not accomplished then Lucy might not earn enough money to pay her rent this month. She paled at the thought. If she thought her landlady in Magnolia was bad, then the landlord at Crocus was _worse_. He had absolutely no mercy for people who did not pay their rent on time. Lucy had witnessed personally how he kicked Ayane and Toru, the flirty couple who lived two blocks down from her apartment, out after they were two days late with their rent.

The celestial mage scratched her head in frustration. Of all guilds though, it just had to be Sabertooth. Despite her getting along with Sting and Yukino, Lucy couldn't say that she was too comfortable being around the other members.

The smell of freshly made pancakes wafted through her room. Lucy inhaled deeply and sighed with contentment. She would ponder over this matter over breakfast.

Wait a minute… Lucy froze. Pancakes…?

Throwing the covers off her body, Lucy stormed out of her room towards her kitchen. "Don't tell me…" she muttered under her breath. Her suspicions were confirmed to be true as her eyes landed the White Dragon Slayer transferring freshly made pancakes onto a large plate.

The male sensed her presence and turned towards her with a grin. "Finally awake, I see." He walked towards her pantry. "Do you have any maple syrup, Lucy?"

"Why are you here?" Lucy twitched.

Sting paused in his rummage through her pantry and gave her a pointed stare. "I'm hungry."

"So you decided to come to _my_ apartment to make pancakes?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Yep."

Twitch. "It's called trespassing, Sting," Lucy grounded out.

Sting gave her a toothy grin. "Lighten up, Lucy." Finally locating the maple syrup, Sting walked back to his pancakes and added a generous amount to the dish. Grabbing the plate, he presented it towards the female blonde. "Here, there's enough for us to share."

"Sting–" Lucy started but was cut off when her stomach released a massive growl, signalling hunger. She blushed lightly when Sting laughed. Lucy gave in to the temptation and thus found herself sitting with Sting at the dining table.

A week had past since Lucy and Sting's first _date_. True to his words, Sting never failed to dedicate some time for her since that day. Lucy could recall the past few days as clear as crystal, consisting of dinner dates, lunch dates and training sessions together. Sting had also developed an annoying habit of entering her apartment without prior notification, which reminded her sorely of her old teammates. Guess her apartments had a knack for attracting weirdos.

"Oh!" Lucy exclaimed as she took a bite of the maple syrup coated pancake. "This is pretty good."

"Well, of course," Sting boasted slightly. "How else would Rogue and I survive if one of us didn't know how to cook?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you guys lived together," she remarked with surprise.

"It's works out a lot easier to flat with someone in Crocus." Sting shrugged. "I've know Rogue for most of my life anyway so we don't mind each other's presence."

Lucy nodded.

Finishing the last bite of his breakfast, Sting said, "I was thinking we should go sightseeing today."

Lucy paused in thought. "I don't think today's a good day, Sting," she finally said.

"Sick of me already?" Sting teased.

The celestial mage shook her head. "I have to work on this segment for Jason…" She drifted off before her eyes widened.

"What?" A slender platinum blond eyebrow rose curiously at Lucy's strange behaviour.

Lucy bit her bottom lip. "I need to do an interview with Sabertooth's core members."

"Oh?" Sting folded his arms across his chest. "That sounds easy enough. What seems to be the problem then?"

"Nothing," Lucy said a little bit too quickly and lowered her head, which Sting did not miss.

A moment of silence passed before the dragon slayer spoke up. "Alright, change of plans then," he said.

Lucy looked up.

"We're going to the guild today."

 **-X-**

"Oh, Lucy-sama!" Yukino exclaimed, taking note of the blonde celestial mage as she set foot into the guildhall.

"Yukino!" Lucy greeted back with a smile.

"What brings you here?" the pale haired celestial mage enquired curiously.

"Well… you see…"

Sting observed the two celestial mages converse. Something about Lucy's reaction earlier to Sabertooth bothered him but he couldn't put a finger on it. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Rogue, Lector and Frosch walking towards him.

"It's about time that you showed your face at the guild, Sting," Rogue remarked.

Sting looked away and didn't comment. Truthfully, he had been neglecting his duties as guild master quite a bit ever since getting to know Lucy.

"Sting-kun, you can't afford to be distracted from your duties," Lector added.

"Fro thinks so too."

Sting let out an annoyed sigh. "I get it guys," he grumbled.

Rogue nodded. "Good." Then out of thin air, he pulled out a stack of papers and shoved them into the White Dragon Slayer's hands. "All of these need reviewing and signing."

Sting's eyes threatened to bulge out of their sockets. "You've got to be freakin' kidding me!" he exclaimed.

"These need to be done today," Rogue stated.

The blond let out a small whine but was immediately shut down by Rogue's blank stare. Sting cursed under his breath before accepting his defeat. "Fine…"

Rogue smiled slightly in satisfaction.

"Rogue."

The said dragon slayer glanced at Sting.

"Can you watch over Lucy for me?" Sting said slowly.

The Shadow Dragon Slayer's eyebrow rose slightly at this but did not question his friend. Knowing that Sting must have his reasons, he nodded in agreement. He did not miss the way Sting's eyes lingered on the Fairy Tail mage's form a bit longer than necessary before he retreated to his office.

 **-X-**

Lucy noticed Sting leaving the mess hall from the corner of her eye. A slight surge of panic passed through her, to which Lucy had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. She smiled at what Yukino said, but her mind did not process her words.

Inwardly, she was shaking. She could feel the stares of the Sabertooth members peering down on her. Although she did not sense a hint of malice, only curiosity from the rival guild, Lucy still felt on edge. It was still difficult for her being around the same people who laughed at her misery at the last Grand Magic Games.

"Oh, milady, you're back!" The voice of a Sabertooth member froze Lucy in her thoughts. The blonde turned towards the entrance of the guild, only to find the guild's strongest female mage, Minerva Orland standing at the entrance with Orga Nanagear and Rufus Lore at her side.

"Welcome home, milady!"

"How did the job go, Rufus?"

"You didn't destroy another town, right Orga?" A few members of Sabertooth snickered.

The said Lightning God Slayer glowered at the comment and looked away in annoyance.

Minerva's eyes briefly glanced over the guild, before landing on the tense celestial mage's form. "It's you…" Minerva said slowly, eyes widened.

"Um… hi Minerva," Lucy greeted nervously.

"Minerva-sama, how did the job go?" Yukino asked her fellow Sabertooth guild mate.

"Fine," the raven-haired girl simply stated. Her eyes never left Lucy's face.

"Oh," Yukino gasped. "I forgot to tell you. Lucy-sama's here to conduct an interview with us."

"Interview?" Rufus spoke up curiously.

"She needs to write an article on the members of Sabertooth. Would you be free to answer a couple of her questions, Minerva-sama, Rufus-sama and Orga-sama?"

"I have a couple of things to take care of first, but I shall be back," Rufus spoke before taking his leave.

"Ditto," Orga added, leaving as well. This left Lucy, Yukino and Minerva.

Minerva thought for a second. "I suppose I have nothing better to do."

Yukino grinned. "Great! I'll leave you guys to it then!" she exclaimed before walking off.

"It's… been a while, hasn't it?" Minerva spoke up after a few seconds of silence.

"Y-yeah."

"So you're working for Weekly Sorcerer now?"

"Yeah."

"You got questions for me?" Minerva's tone sounded a lot harsher than what was intended, which startled the celestial mage.

"O-oh, yes! Sorry!" Lucy stammered, pulling out her notepad. "Let's see… Question One…"

The two female mages continued to exchange words, with Lucy asking the questions and Minerva answering. To her surprise, Lucy discovered that Minerva, despite being an absolute savage at the Grand Magic Games, was just as normal as any other mage that she knew. Minerva's favourite colour is blue, favourite pastime is cooking various dishes (and she was good at it from which she boasted) and enjoys learning different languages. Lucy slowly found herself loosening up around the raven-haired girl's presence.

"Alright, that concludes the interview," Lucy exclaimed, closing her notepad. "Thanks, Minerva."

Minerva simply nodded with a slight smile.

"It's nice to see you back here at the guild after what happened," the blonde said lightly with a smile.

The Sabertooth mage's olive eyes widened slightly before biting her lower lip gently. Lucy blinked at the strange actions of Minerva. "S-sorry, did I say something wrong?" the blonde questioned worriedly.

Minerva shook her head. "No. It just made me remember a couple of things." She hung her head down. "I'm sorry about what happened at the games," she said shamefully, looking away.

Brown eyes widened. "Oh… that, huh?" Lucy smiled awkwardly. "It's all in the past now, don't worry! It was a competition anyway," she reassured the mage before her.

"Even so, I overdid it," Minerva said uncertainly. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you, Lucy."

Lucy stared at the raven-haired mage in shock. Never would she have imagined receiving an apology from the Sabertooth lady. Her lips curled up into a smile. Seemed like time can really change a person. Lucy was always known to be forgiving. Seeing Minerva like this in front of her made her heart feel lighter, as if a giant weight had been lifted.

"It's fine," Lucy reassured. "No hard feelings."

Minerva looked up and smiled at Lucy solemnly. "I'm sorry about what happened to Fairy Tail. It was a nice guild," she admitted.

"Don't worry about it," Lucy murmured. "I'm okay now."

As Minerva was about to open her mouth to respond, Lucy turned her attention towards Rufus and Orga who made their return. The raven-haired girl's lips pursed, taking note of the pain that shone briefly through the blonde's eyes before she masked it with a huge grin.

For the first time in her life, Minerva felt pity towards someone.

 **-X-**

With a sigh of relief, Sting set down his feathered quill as he signed the last piece of paper with his name. He scratched his head in annoyance as he let out a groan. If Sting had known that being the master of a guild would involve this much paperwork, he would never have agreed on taking up the position.

A knock on the door caught his attention. His nose could pick up the scent of the person on the other side. "You can come in, you know," he called. "Don't have to knock, Rogue."

A moment later, Rogue entered the office with pieces of paper in clutched his hands. Sting groaned. "Please don't tell me there's more," he cried exasperatedly.

"Just job requests that got mailed in today," Rogue said. "I thought this might interest you." He placed the top page on the desk of the Sabertooth Master.

A slender platinum blond eyebrow rose curiously. Picking up the job advertisement, Sting's eyes scanned over the details of the request. "URGENT! Disappearance of children… kidnapping of women… requesting help from Sabertooth's Twin Dragons." he read. "Location: Oak Town. Client: Gabriel Hooley (Mayor). Reward: 160,000 J… Why is he requesting for us?"

Rogue shrugged. "Who knows," he remarked. "Unfortunately I won't be able to take this job as I've already promised to go on a request with Yukino tomorrow."

Sting smirked at this. "Yukino, huh?" he teased. "You guys seem to be getting awfully close nowadays. Is there something you'd like to tell me, Rogue?"

Rogue closed his ruby eyes in annoyance. "Nothing in particular," he stated blandly. Sting, however, did not miss the way his friend's cheekbones turn slightly pink at his comment.

'I see how it is,' Sting thought, inwardly cackling and gave Rogue a pat on the back. "Don't worry, man. Your secret is safe with me." He gave him a thumbs-up.

Rogue bristled before giving the blond a glare. "You're one to talk, Sting," he stated.

Sting blinked. "What do you mean?" he questioned confusedly.

Rogue shook his head but didn't comment. "So what are you planning to do with that job request?" He changed the topic.

Glancing down at the advertisement, Sting skimmed the details of the paper once again before replying, "I'll take it."

The raven-haired mage nodded, already knowing that he would get that answer from Sting. Sting would never ignore a cry for help. "Perhaps you should get Minerva, Orga or Rufus to accompany you," he suggested.

To his surprise, the White Dragon Slayer shook his head. "No, I have someone else in mind," he said with a slight smile before leaving his office, making his way back to the mess hall.

Rogue watched his retreating back and crossed his arms. "Hmm."

As Sting approached the mess hall, he could hear the sound of chatter and laughter all around. He smiled at this. Sabertooth really had come a long way from the once brutal guild, who never cared for anything else but power. Now with Jiemma's reign over the atmosphere of the guild really had lightened up and Sting couldn't help but feel proud of the way the guild was now.

Entering the mess hall, his royal blue eyes surveyed the sight before him. Lucy was sitting with Rufus at the dining table giggling at something that he said. To his surprise, Minerva was sitting on the opposite side of them at the same table smiling softly. Rufus had removed his signature hat and Sting could see his dark green eyes twinkle with amusement. They were also sitting too close together for Sting's comfort.

The blond did not know why but seeing Rufus and Lucy laughing together made him feel extremely irritated.

Scowling inwardly, he approached the group. Minerva was the first to notice his approached and raised her head to greet him, however his attention was on the two blondes.

"Hey Lucy, let's head out on a job!" he exclaimed loudly, capturing their attention.

Lucy turned her attention from Rufus to the Sabertooth master. "A job?" she asked curiously.

Sting held up a flyer to her face. So close that Lucy had to back away slightly to read. "I don't think I can, Sting," she finally said after taking the details of the job in.

"Why not?" Sting raised his eyebrows.

"I still have to draft up my article, and there's no time left."

The Sabertooth master let out an annoyed sigh. "You can just do that once we get back," he reasoned.

"B-but–" Lucy started.

"We'll be back in a day or so," Sting reassured her with a grin. "Come on, Lucy. It's not everyday we get to go on a job together. Besides, the reward is good." He watched as the celestial mage hesitate. She glanced down again at the flyer, taking in the amount of reward promised before finally sighing in defeat.

"Alright." Lucy gave in.

"Great!" Sting exclaimed. Without warning, he grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her out of her seat, ignoring her little yelp. "Let's go."

Lucy sputtered. "Wait, now?!"

"You do want to finish early, don't you?"

"I guess… wait, slow down!"

"Sting-kun, wait for me!" Lector yelled, flying after the two blondes, leaving behind the Sabertooth members, who observed the scene with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"I don't recall ever seeing Sting like this," Rufus remarked.

"Hm, what an interesting development." Minerva smirked.

 **-X-**

'I should've know this would happen,' Lucy thought as she observed the sight before her.

No matter how strong Sting seemed on the surface, at the end of the day, he was a dragon slayer with an obvious weakness for transportation.

Lector sighed exasperatedly. "To think that the Almighty Sting-kun is reduced to such a weakened state in front of this fairy," the Exceed muttered under his breath.

"Urggg…" Sting suppressed the urge to throw up.

"I can't say I'm surprised." Lucy giggled. "Maybe you should lie down, Sting. You'll feel better that way."

"I-I'll be fine," Sting gritted out, turning greener by the second. The nausea was getting worse. His arms crossed tightly across his chest as he sat straight as a board, trying to appear tough. His royal blue eyes were clenched shut.

Lucy sighed and stared out the window of the moving train. The job that Sting had picked was based in Oak Town, home to the former Phantom Lord guild. From what Lucy had gathered, reading the job flyer the mayor of the town had sent a request to Sabertooth's Twin Dragons. Children and women of the town have been disappearing over the last couple of days and, being the father himself, the mayor was concerned for their safety. Hence the request to guard his children whilst unravel the mystery behind the village children's disappearance was made.

Rogue, to which Lucy learnt, was unable to make it for the mission as he already had one set, hence why Sting took this request.

However…

"Urggg…"

…this was not a good start to the job. Lucy watched the sick dragon slayer with a mix of pity and amusement.

"Hang in there, Sting-kun," Lector said with concern, giving Sting a light pat on the arm with his paw. "Not too much longer till we arrive."

'Can't be helped, I guess,' Lucy thought, pursing her lips. She stood up and walked over to sit next to Sting, who gave her a questioning look. His face was drenched with sweat.

Without warning, Lucy pulled Sting down so that his head was on her lap.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" Sting cried out.

"You'll feel better this way," Lucy cooed. Placing a hand on his head, she ran her fingers through his platinum blond hair gently.

Sting's breath hitched in his throat, paralysed at her actions. To his surprise, he did feel slight relief from his motion sickness. Lucy smiled down at him and he could feel his face heat up in response.

"That's better right?"

Sting could only nod mutely.

They all sat in silence as the train continued towards its destination. Lucy resumed her previous activity of gazing out the window, while Sting decided to use this opportunity to study her closely, whilst enjoying the feel of her fingers drawing circles on his scalp.

Slowly, he felt his eyes flutter shut as he fell into a light sleep.

Lector watched the two blondes on the side curiously. Never in his life had he seen Sting look so relaxed on the train. Was it due to the presence of this Fairy Tail girl?

After another twenty minutes, the train came to a halt. Sting jolted from his peaceful nap as the train stopped. "We've arrived?" he asked hopefully.

Lucy grabbed her pink bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Yep."

The two mages and Exceed got off the train and Sting breathed in deeply, feeling the lingering nausea dissipating. "Thank God…" he muttered.

Lucy giggled.

They made their way to the mayor's residence (after asking nearby villagers for direction), which was located in the centre of town. Oak Town's infrastructure consisted of an old castle build, situated on a hill surrounded by a dense forest. Arriving at their destination, Lucy and Sting noticed that despite being the mayor of the town, Gabriel Hooley lived in quite a small house. Sting step forward and knocked on the wooden door. His sharp hearing picked up the sound of a muffled "coming" before the door swung open slowly.

"Hi, I'm Sting Eucliffe, one of the Twin Dragons from Sabertooth, Lucy Heartfilia and Lector," Sting greeted the man before him. Lucy and Lector waved lightly in response. "Would you be Mayor Gabriel?"

"That is I," the man spoke. Sting took note of the eye bags under the mayor's eyes. Gabriel was a middle-aged man of average height. His flat, light brown hair was streaked with strands of grey, as was his bristled-edged moustache. He wore a dark blue vest over a simple white long-sleeved shirt. His black pants were held up by a silver belt and on his feet were black dress shoes. "I suppose you received my job request." He opened the door wider for the two mages. "Please come on in."

Sting, Lector and Lucy followed Gabriel into his house. The mayor gestured for them to take a seat on the couch. "Take a seat."

"We read that children and women have been disappearing recently," Lucy said, taking a seat on the couch. Sting sat directly next to her.

Gabriel sighed sadly, sitting on the opposite couch. "Yes, unfortunately that's what has been happening."

"And the reason for your specific request for Rogue and I?" Sting asked curiously.

"I'm actually quite a huge fan of the Grand Magic Games," the mayor admitted. "I saw you and your partner's fight against Fairy Tail's Salamander, Natsu and Black Steel, Gajeel–" Sting took note of how Lucy flinched. "–and I knew that you two could be relied on."

Sting nodded, accepting his answer.

"How many have gone missing so far?" Lucy asked, diverting the topic.

"If you count the two last night, that would make it 13 children and 5 women in the last five days," Gabriel said grimly. "I heard rumours of a slave trading group making quite the name for themselves recently… They call themselves Red Crow, but I'm not a hundred percent sure if it really is them."

"Red Crow, huh?" Sting looked down and rubbed his chin in thought. "Do you have a list of the families who've had their children or women kidnapped?"

"Great idea, Sting-kun!" Lector said. "We should probably start by questioning those people for clues."

Gabriel nodded. "I do." He handed Sting a folded piece of paper he retrieved from his vest pocket. "I've written their addresses down for you as well."

"Thank you."

"Daddy!" the sound of tiny footsteps running towards the three was heard. Sting and Lucy turned to see a little girl not older than the age of nine making her way towards them. She had brown hair, two shades darker than Gabriel's, which was tied into two low pigtails and large forest green eyes. She had on a salmon coloured dress with white frills and white shoes. In her hands was a pink rabbit soft toy.

Gabriel's eyes softened and embraced the girl. Picking her up in her arms, he turned towards the two mages, who watched the scene before them. "This is my daughter, Risa. She just turned eight last month. Say hi, Risa."

Risa's eyes turned shyly towards the two mages. "Hi," she said with a hesitant smile.

Lucy smiled back. She always had a soft spot for children. "Hello, Risa-chan," she greeted brightly. "My name's Lucy." She gestured towards her companions. "And this is Sting and Lector. We're mages."

Gabriel released his daughter from his hold and allowed her to approach the celestial mage. Risa's green eyes lit up with excitement. "Mages? You mean you can do magic tricks?" she asked curiously.

Lucy laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess you can say that."

"Wow, can you show me a trick?" Risa pleaded excitedly.

"Risa," Gabriel chided lightly. "These three are here for work, not to play around." Risa's face dropped in disappointment. Before Lucy was able to speak, to her surprise, Sting bent down to Risa's eye level and spoke, "you want to see some magic?"

The brunette immediately looked up and nodded her head vigorously. "Yes please!"

Sting grinned. "Alright then." He held his right palm out and summoned a ball of light the size of an apple in front of the girl's eyes and Risa was immediately fascinated. "Can I touch it?" she asked.

Sting chuckled. "Of course. Hold out your hands." Risa immediately did what was told and the blond dragon slayer dropped the ball of light into the palm of her hands. It hovered slightly, not quite touching her palms.

"Wow! It feels warm!"

Lucy smiled at the sight of the excited child and whispered in Sting's ear. "I didn't know you had a soft spot for children."

Sting grinned at her. "You learn something new everyday, don't you?" He winked to which Lucy coloured slightly at.

The mayor smiled at them. "Thanks for entertaining my daughter," he said before his expression turned solemn. "I hope that you can get to the bottom of this case soon as I do not want anyone else separated from their family due to this unforseen circumstance." He glanced at his daughter worriedly.

Sting nodded. "You can count on us," he reassured.

"We'll get to the bottom of this," Lucy added.

"Thank you." The mayor bowed. "If you don't have a place to stay, please feel free to take up residence here at my home. I do have a guest room available."

"We'll take you up on that offer then," Sting said. He turned towards Lucy. "We should probably split up and see if we can gather some information from these families." He turned towards his Exceed. "Lector, you stay here with Mayor Gabriel and Risa."

"You got it, Sting-kun!" Lector pumped his paw. "I'll be sure to keep them safe."

The celestial mage smiled. "We'll meet back here in two hours then."

 **-X-**

"Thank you for your information," Sting said, bowing at the middle-aged couple, who both sniffled at the recount of how their son had disappeared last night.

"Please save him," the woman pleaded.

The blond nodded solemnly. "I promise you," he murmured. "I'll bring him back." With that, he left the couple's residence.

Sting sighed for what seemed like the tenth time in a day. This was the sixth home that he had visited and to his disappointment everyone had pretty much given him the same answers. The kidnappings always occurred in the middle of the night, when everyone while everyone was asleep. Only two families declared that they had witnessed the kidnapping with their own eyes, only to have been knocked unconscious before they were able to step in. They could not recall any of the faces of the kidnappers as they all wore black masks, which covered the lower half of their faces.

The White Dragon Slayer scowled. 'Hopefully Lucy had better luck than me,' he thought, making his way back to Gabriel's house.

On his way, he passed by a bustling flea market. An antique store at the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was unfrequented, compared the other stalls. Sting walked towards the store and nodded as a greeting towards the old woman sitting on the stool. "Welcome."

The blond glanced around curiously, taking note of the items up for sale. Most of them were either household items, which did not interest Sting. One particular item, however, did capture his interest. Royal blue eyes stared at a bracelet laid out on the white clothed table, along with other jewellery. It was a simple gold bracelet with a heart-shaped clasp. There were three differently coloured crystal charms attached. Each of the charm had a unique symbol engraved, which Sting couldn't help but find familiar.

'This would suit her,' Sting thought, thinking about a certain celestial mage.

"Ahh, you have a good eye, young man," the shopkeeper spoke up. "This bracelet here once belonged to powerful mage. Such a beauty, however it's been sitting at my shop for over 9 years now."

Sting raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

The woman nodded. "You are the first person to take an interest in this," she said. "I'll give you a discount on this one."

"How much?" the blond asked.

"80,000 J is the lowest that I will offer."

Sting inwardly cursed. 'Shit, that's still expensive.' He glanced at the bracelet in thought before finally making his decision.

 **-X-**

The sun had begun to set, signalling the end of the day. The celestial mage was already back at Gabriel's house by the time Sting arrived. Sting observed the sight before him. Lucy and Lector were currently playing with Risa on the carpeted floor. He watched as the two females scrunched their faces up, whilst trying to figure out where the next piece of Risa's puzzle should go.

Lucy hear the sound of the door closing and noticed Sting standing there looking down at them. "How did it go? Did you find anything useful?" she asked hopefully.

Unconsciously placing his hand against the pocket of his jacket, where the bracelet was kept, Sting shook his head. "No," he murmured. "Nothing at all."

Lucy frowned disappointedly. "That's too bad."

"What about you?" Sting asked.

"Well…" Lucy relayed all the information that she found to the Sabertooth master, who took all the information in silently. Pretty much what Lucy had found out was exactly the same information that he gathered. However, Lucy mentioned that a man, whose girlfriend had been taken, had said that he noticed a strange mark on the kidnapper's forehead, which was not concealed by his mask. He drew it out for Lucy, who passed the sketch to Sting.

Sting studied the sketch. It was rough but even Sting could tell clearly who the culprit was. The sketch featured a black vertical line going up with two other lines branching out diagonally from the centre in opposite. The ends of the lines were all pointed, in the shape of a claw nails. Crow's feet.

"Red Crow," Sting muttered. "So it is them."

Lucy nodded. "I did a bit of research as well. It seems like they're an unregistered guild in Fiore, known for multiple kidnapping attempts and associations with those in the black market."

"A dark guild." Sting's eyes darkened. "Most likely mages, I bet."

Lucy looked worried. "I couldn't find any information on any of their members," she murmured.

Risa sat there listening into the conversation with curiosity. "What's a dark mage, Lulu?" she asked. "Are they the bad guys?" Her eyes shone with worry.

Lucy smiled down at her. "You won't have to worry about that, Risa-chan," she reassured. "Sting and I will be here to protect you."

"Yeah, Sting-kun is the strongest, so don't you worry, girl," Lector added.

Risa smiled at this and nodded. "Okay!"

The blondes smiled at each other before their attention was directed towards Gabriel, who had just finished preparing dinner. To their surprise, Gabriel was an amazing chef. He explained, after seeing their reaction, that after Risa's mother passed away three years ago, he had to hone his culinary skills to support his daughter and himself. Lucy felt a wave of sadness wash through her after realizing the fact that Risa no longer had a mother. Just like her back at the Heartfilia Konzern. The only difference was that Gabriel Hooley was a loving father, whereas Jude Heartfilia wasn't. Seeing the loving relationship between the father and daughter before her made her feel happy, but also slightly bitter that she would never have the chance for such a relationship in her life.

Dinner was over and Gabriel directed the two mages to their room. To their shock, there was only one queen sized bed available. Risa had insisted on sleeping with Lector, who looked anything but thrilled, much to the two mages' amusement.

"I apologize, this is the only room I had available. I hope you don't mind sharing," the mayor said apologetically.

"No, that's fine," came Sting's reply.

Lucy whirled her head towards the dragon slayer with wide eyes. Fine he says?

"Alright, there's a bathroom inside with fresh towels. Please help yourself."

"Thank you," Sting said bowing.

The mayor bobbed his head in response before heading off.

Lucy stood shell shock at the entrance of the bedroom until Sting gave her a slight nudge. "Hey, are you just gonna stand there?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry!" the blonde squeaked out. She walked into the bedroom, staring helplessly at the queen-sized bed in the centre of the room. "So, uh, who's going to take the bed?" she asked awkwardly.

"You," came Sting's response.

Lucy looked at him. "What about you?" Her brown eyes darted to the lone wooden armchair at the corner of the room, which did not look comfortable.

Sting made himself at home by lying down on the bed. "I'll be sleeping here too."

The celestial mage gapped. "W-what?" she sputtered. "B-but…"

Sting gave her an amused look. "Don't worry, you'll sleep on your side and I'll sleep on mine. Unless you give me permission, I'll keep my hands to myself," he said cheekily.

A furious blush bloomed on the girl's face in response. She turned away from him quickly, not wanting him to see her face. "I'm going to take a bath," she announced whilst retrieving some clothes from her bag.

Sting followed her movements, watching her walk across the room until she closed the bathroom door.

He remained in his lying position on his side of the bed until Lucy emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later. The ends of her hair were slightly darkened, damp with water. She wore a plain baby blue T-shirt, which hugged her figure tightly and exposed her belly button. She had on a pair of skimpy black shorts, which barely concealed her rounded backside. Lucy bit her lips nervously, which Sting could not help but find adorable. His royal blue eyes followed her as she climbed onto the bed and slipped herself underneath the covers. "The bathroom's all yours, Sting," came her muffled voice from beneath the blanket.

The White Dragon Slayer almost laughed but held himself back, knowing that the situation was quite awkward for the celestial mage. He made his way towards the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him.

Slowly, he allowed his mask to slip from his face. He sighed. Despite teasing Lucy about sharing a bed, he was just as nervous as she was. The only one who he had ever shared his bed with was Lector, who did not count, as he wasn't even human. Knowing that Lucy would be under the same cover as him this very night really tested his self-control. He could not deny that Lucy was one attractive girl.

He turned on the knob of the shower and flinched at the initial spray of cold water before relaxing as the water turned lukewarm. He breathed in deeply, taking in the lingering scent of coconut scented shampoo. Sting almost groaned as he placed his forehead against the marble tiled walls. This was going to be a long night.

Giving his body a quick scrub, he turned off the water and wrapped his lower half in a towel and placed another towel over neck.

He returned to the bedroom to find Lucy shifting about in the bed, clearly stil awake. Sting took a seat on the edge of the bed. Grabbing the ends of the towel around his neck, he started to dry his hair.

"So, how did the interviews go?" he spoke up suddenly.

Lucy tensed slightly before answering, "it went well. I think I've got enough information to write a good article." She turned her gaze towards the White Dragon Slayer, whose back was turned towards her as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You're the last one who I have on my list, but we can do that once we're back at Crocus."

Sting nodded. "Sounds good." He paused before asking, "What did you think of our guild?" His tone sounded almost nervous.

"Eh?" Lucy's eyes widened, not expecting that question from him. "It's great, I think," she finally replied. Taking a small but deep breath she continued. "I like how you guys are now… compared to…" she drifted off awkwardly.

The blond male sighed before chuckling lightly. "Yeah, we were a real piece of work back then, weren't we?" he murmured, gaze downcast. "I can't believe it took this long for us to realize that a guild meant nothing if its members don't treasure their comrades."

The celestial mage sat up on the bed. "But Sabertooth is different now," she said softly. "And it's all because of you. You should be proud, Sting."

Sting turned towards her and gave her a smile. "Thanks, Luce," he said. Unbeknownst to him, Lucy's heart skip a beat the little nickname Sting gave her.

"Lucy?" Sting suddenly spoke, somewhat nervously.

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry too."

Slender blonde eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Huh? What are you saying sorry for?"

"The Grand Magic Games… I was a jerk. I shouldn't have laughed at you during the water round," the Sabertooth master muttered, looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The celestial mage did not respond to his comment and merely stared at him in silence, making the dragon slayer more and more nervous by the second. "Uhh, Lucy?" he spoke up eventually with hesitance. "Am I forgiven?"

Lucy huffed before lying back down on the bed, pulling the blankets over her head. "I'll have to think about it," came her muffled voice.

"Ehh?!"

Unbeknownst to Sting, a large smile was concealed underneath the blanket as Lucy took in his words. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders at his words. Eventually, she felt the dip in the mattress as Sting crawled into bed. He respectfully kept his distance from her, sleeping close to the edge of the bed, as did she. She heard a muffled, "good night" to which she responded back softly with her own.

Slowly, she found herself drifting off.

 **-X-**

For what seemed like hours later, Lucy woke up. She froze as she stared at the face before her eyes. To her dismay, she felt herself blushing as she studied the sleeping face of Sting Eucliffe. They both must have turned over in their sleep, as their faces were now inches apart. Sting's left arm was slipped underneath his pillow where his head rested upon. The other arm hung loose at his side. His mouth was slightly open as he breathed lightly through his mouth. His breath fanned across her face as he slept.

Lucy felt something heavy weigh down on her leg. Taking a hesitant peek underneath the covers, Lucy gave a small squeal. Sting did tell Lucy that he would keep his _hands_ to himself, but he didn't say anything about other parts of his body.

The Sabertooth master's bare legs entangled themselves with Lucy's, much to her dismay. It was only now that she realized she had lost all the feeling in her legs due to the dragon slayer's vice grip hold. Lucy made an attempt to remove his limbs by pulling her legs, however failed miserably to do so. Knowing that it would be a futile, Lucy tried her luck at freeing herself by using her hands to separate their limbs. In the process, her hand brushed past something soft, yet firm underneath his towel. Lucy pulled her hand back in fright as Sting gave off a low groan. He shifted in his sleep, untangling his legs from hers, and turned to face away from the celestial mage.

Lucy sighed in relief before rolling out of bed. She stared at the male. To her surprise, Sting remained asleep throughout this whole process. 'What a heavy sleeper,' she thought.

She could still remember the feel of his bare legs against her own. Swallowing dryly, Lucy decided that a breath of fresh air and some water would be the solution to slow down her hammering chest.

Quietly, she stalked out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. The blonde made her way to the kitchen of Gabriel's home. Arriving at the kitchen, she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. 2.37am, the hands read.

After a quick rummage, she found a glass and filled it halfway with tap water. Gulping it down, Lucy sighed contently. After washing the cup and placing it on the drying rack, she made her way back to the bedroom.

Her footsteps slowed as she walked. Stopping outside their shared bedroom, Lucy's hand halted on its way towards the doorknob as she found herself lost in her thoughts.

For some reason, the presence of Sting, in the same bed as her, made her feel extremely nervous. Not even Natsu, when he used to break into her bedroom in the middle of the night to have a snooze in her bed, had that kind of effect on her. Clearly, she had not expected Sting of all people to affect her in this way. These last few days of being together, eating, drinking and training really did change her impressions of him. Not to mention, whenever Sting smiled at her, Lucy could feel an interesting sensation in her stomach, one that wasn't unpleasant by all means. It was strange, if not a bit terrifying for her.

There was no denying it anymore. Lucy swallowed at the realization.

She was attracted to Sting Eucliffe.

Shaking her head at the notion, Lucy placed a hand over her chest. Her heart pounded furiously to meet her palm. She took a deep breath. "It's okay, Lucy. So you like him… big deal. Just play it cool," she muttered to herself quietly.

A small gasp, followed by a low thud caught her attention. The celestial mage's head turned towards the direction of the sound, which came from down the hallway. Lucy tensed before slowly approaching the source of the sound. Her eyes widened in realization before she broke out into a sprint. 'Don't tell me…!'

Without bothering to knock, Lucy flung open the door of the room where the sound emitted. "Risa-chan!" she yelled. Her brown eyes darted around the room frantically. Risa's bed sheets were all in a mess, however Lucy could not see the brunette. The only other presence in the room was Lector, who was knocked out cold on the carpeted floor.

"Lector, are you okay?" Lucy said frantically, pulling the red Exceed into her arms. "Please wake up!"

Lector groaned in pain before his eyes opened. "L-Lucy…?"

The celestial mage sighed in relief before asking, "Where's Risa-chan?"

Lector winced in pain, clutching his head with one of his paws. "These people dressed in black came in and took her. I couldn't take a good look at them properly." He pointed towards the opened window. "They escaped through there."

Lucy's eyes hardened. Placing Lector down carefully, she straightened herself. "I'm going after them," she announced firmly.

Lector's eyes widened. "W-What? No, wait you shouldn't! We have to let Sting-kun know about this first!" he protested.

"There's no time for that." Lucy shook her head and looked the Exceed in the eye. "You go inform Sting and catch up with me later. I'm heading out first."

Before Lector could say another word, the celestial mage leaped out of the window in pursuit.

Lucy ran. The sound of her bare feet pacing along the concreted floor echoed through the night. She knew that it was a bad idea to charge in recklessly without a solid plan, but at this point she didn't care anymore. She had to save Risa.

Her eyes widened as she spotted something in the distance. Skidding to a stop in front of the object, Lucy bent down to pick it up. It was Risa's stuffed rabbit toy. "Risa-chan…" she murmured, before looking ahead. She had no idea how far she ran but it seemed like she was now approaching the forest. Fist clenching around the arm of the stuffed toy, Lucy continued her pursuit.

"…should be enough for tonight…" Lucy heard the faint whispers of people deep within the forest. She pulled to a stop to hide behind the trunk of a thick tree. The celestial mage observed the scene before her and her eyes widened at the sight of the familiar figure. 'Risa-chan!'

Risa was blindfolded, tied up, gagged and slung over the shoulder of an unruly guy, dressed in black from head to toe. Only his eyes were revealed. There were two other men with him, all dressed in a similar fashion. Lucy noticed that Risa was not the only child abducted, as there was another girl close to her age held captive. Along with a beautiful black-haired woman, who was in nothing but a tiny red tank top and black shorts. She was also unconscious.

Lucy could see the men of the group eyeing the woman's figure with lustful expressions, much to her disgust. 'I have to do something quick,' she thought, before an idea struck her.

"Open, Gate of the Arch–" Lucy's hand froze in her attempt to reach for her keys, only to realize she didn't have them with her. Lucy wanted to smack herself. 'That's right… I didn't bring them with me,' she thought, inwardly face palming herself.

She glared at the group. 'If I don't have my keys, I can always–'

"Well, look what we have here," a smooth voice interrupted her from her thoughts. "It seems like my boys have brought along a stray kitten."

Lucy turned quickly towards the sound, only to find herself frozen in her tracks. "W-What is this?" she stammered, as her hands reached up to grab her own neck. She struggled against the unknown force which was controlling her very movements, however it was a futile attempt. Her hands clasped around her neck and Lucy winced in pain. She felt the air slowly beginning to leave her lungs as her hands continued to squeeze at her neck.

"W-Who… are you?" Lucy managed to gasp out. She could hear the mage chuckle darkly before stars danced in her vision from the lack of oxygen.

'Sting…!'

Then, everything went black.

 **-X-**

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks for reading! This was probably the longest chapter that I've written for this story so far. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave a review and let me know what you guys think. See you guys in the next chapter!

 **-X-**

 _-Setsuna_


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